Agronomy and Horticulture, Department of
Plant and Soil Sciences eLibrary
Alternative Stable State Theory and Regime Shifts
Document Type
Learning Object
Date of this Version
2020
Citation
Plant and Soil Sciences eLibrary (PASSeL) Lessons.
Abstract
Background
This lesson is an introduction to alternative stable state theory and regime shifts between these states, as well as a continuation of our education on ecological resilience. Complex systems are dynamic and when presented with a large enough disturbance or erosion of resilience through internal changes to stabilizing feedbacks may rapidly shift into a fundamentally different form of the system. We use the example of lakes, one clear-water lake and one with excess nutrients pollution from runoff causing the lake to become turbid and dominated by toxic cyanobacteria. These lakes are in the same location and exist under the same climatic conditions and yet they are fundamentally different. How? There has been a regime shift as one lake switched from a clear-water state to a turbid, cyanobacteria-dominated state, but how can such similar lakes end up in different states? To answer that question, we will visit the concepts of alternative stable states and regime shifts in depth.
Overview and Objectives
Overview – What Will You Learn in this Lesson?
This lesson discusses what alternative stable states and regime shifts are and how they relate to understanding and interpreting natural phenomena.
Learning Objectives
This lesson covers the concept of alternative stable state and regime shifts. At the completion of this lesson, you should be able to:
- Describe the concepts of alternative states or regimes, thresholds, and regime shifts and how they come together under alternative state theory
- Explain how scale, resilience, and hysteresis play a role in alternative stable state theory
- Identify the management value of alternative stable state theory, its application to real world problems, and its role in global change
Modules
- Background
- Overview and Objectives
- Learning Objectives
- Introduction – What Are Alternative Stable States? What Is a Regime Shift?
- Utility – Why Are These Ideas Useful?
- Example – Bare vs. Vegetated Sand Dune Alternative Stable State and Regime Shift
- Summary – Why are Alternative State States and Regime Shifts Important?
- Quiz Questions
- References and Further Reading
Comments
Copyright 2020, the authors. Used by permission.
This project was supported in part by the National Research Initiative Competitive Grants CAP project 2011-68002-30029 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, administered by the University of California-Davis and by the National Science Foundation (NSF), Division of Undergraduate Education, National SMETE Digital Library Program, Award #0938034, administered by the University of Nebraska. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the USDA or NSF.